Help With Your Wedding Plans

A destination wedding is one of those new fangled ideas where, instead of a couple getting married in the local church or registry office, they decide to get married on a distant tropical beach or in some romantic foreign city such as Paris or Venice. Usually the reasoning behind this idea is due to more reliable weather or fulfilling some childhood dream. However the reality is much more mundane. Destination weddings can often be less expensive than getting married close to home.

The obvious downside of getting married is the cost of the ceremony, the reception and all the essential sundries such as the dresses, the suits, the flowers and so on. People feel obliged to invite all their family, most of their friends plus a good handful of work colleagues and acquaintances. Often this means you’ll be catering for over a hundred people which can make the costs sky rocket.

The beauty of getting married abroad means you don’t have to feel obliged to invite all and sundry. Instead, a small selection of close family and friends are invited, and this is where you can save hundreds of pounds on the overall cost of your wedding. There’s also something much more special and romantic about weddings in New York or on a Caribbean island. By getting married abroad your wedding will be much more unique and memorable than getting married down the road, and the weather is much more reliable with destination weddings than it is here in Blighty, so you can rest assured that your special day won’t be spoiled by the typical English weather.

By Carl & Barry Summers

A hen party is a gathering of female friends prior to a wedding where the bride’s last days of single life are celebrated. What was once a rather sedate and formal dinner has become much more of an event which can involve lots of alcohol, lots of dancing and lots of town centre pubs, clubs and bars. It’s not uncommon for the bride to be to wear L plates similar to that of a learner driver, or the whole entourage wearing matching or themed outfits. Hen parties can also involve a weekend away rather than a night out on the town, and in recent years many businesses offering party planning services specifically geared towards hen parties have cropped up in most larger towns and cities.

A hen party may be preceded by a visit to a health spa or beauty salon, or both! These girls want to look and feel their best for this very special, and hopefully once in a lifetime celebration. If the hen party is following a theme, then specific outfits may be in order which comply with the chosen theme. Also becoming popular are ‘dance hen parties’, which involves all the girls attending a dance class as part of their pre party plans. Hen party dancing needn’t be a drunken stagger on the dance floor, as with a few pointers from a trained dance teacher could pave the way to a totally unforgettable night out with the girls… and for all the right reasons.

Dance hen parties can follow a number of themes from burlesque to body popping and everything in between. Your hen night could have a Grease theme where you and your friends dress as The Pink Ladies for the night out. What better then spending a few hours beforehand learning a dance routing from the film too? Maybe you’re fans of Rhianna, Kylie or Madonna and would love to spend a few hours learning routines specific to their chart topping hits? For fans of The Only Way Is Essex, then the only way for you is pole dancing! From Abba to Zumba, any style of dance can become a feature of your hen night.

Hen party dancing needn’t be a drunken stagger around the dance floor. Instead, you and your friends could be the talk of the town with your impromptu dance routines, effortless moves and cool costumes. Hen party dancing classes are the perfect addition to any pre wedding celebration and offer not only great day out, but memories which last a life time.

By Carl Liver & Barry Summers

The Caribbean is hailed as one of premier tropical holiday destinations, but to some, the regions popularity is also its downfall. Many of the inhabited Caribbean islands are home to a good number of luxury Caribbean villas and hotels to cater for the tourist trade, hover some are now blighted by large casinos, huge purpose built resorts and ever growing marinas and other large expanses of concrete & tarmac. The developers build because the tourists are there, but for those in search of luxury Caribbean holidays, they want endless deserted beaches, secluded coves and cool coconut cocktails. Not speedboats and casinos and a myriad of street hawkers eager to make them part with their money.

Thankfully there are some fantastic Caribbean holiday rentals on some of the lesser known   Caribbean islands which haven’t been blighted by too many modern developments. In the eastern Caribbean Sea where it borders the Atlantic ocean is the island of Barbuda. With a population of little over 1,600 and covering an area of 61 square miles, this truly is a Caribbean getaway with sun, sea, surf and endless sandy beaches. A similar size to Barbuda is the island of Marie-Galante. Nestled between Guadalupe and Dominica, this undiscovered gem has a population of just over 12,000. There is nightlife and other attractions if you want, but getting away from it all is an easy task on this secluded little island.

Finally in this selection of undiscovered Caribbean islands is Guanaja, also known as Bonacca. Located in the western Caribbean Sea, Guanaja lies 70 km off the coast of Honduras in Central America. The main island is largely unpopulated, with the majority of the 10,000 occupants squeezed on to a tiny cay (island) to the south of the main island. There are a handful of tourist centres on the main island which provides some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving in the entire Caribbean due to this mostly unoccupied island being almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs.

By Carl Liver & Barry Summers